I can hear our urban friends sniggering now.
Though we don’t admit it to just anyone, She Who Must Be Obeyed and I have been hard-core gardeners for years.
It really got out of hand when we lived in the Flathead (northwest Montana) a few years ago. We built a massive collection of raised bed garden boxes (over 20) and grew all sorts of things you’d never imagine could be grown in Montana – 8 varieties of peppers, heirloom tomatoes, herbs, melons, cucumbers, incredible Walla Walla onions, leeks, a number of lettuces and cabbage, strawberries and a baker’s dozen different herbs to name a few. Our raspberries even overwintered for a few years (with some help).
Besieged the first gardening fall with a hoard of produce, we began to experiment with small batch canning to preserve some of the bounty.
Much to our surprise, the results were spectacular – putting store bought pickles, peppers, jams and jellies to shame.
Picked-that-morning fresh strawberry jam remains the absolute favorite of She Who Must Be Obeyed, though (for reasons that even I don’t fully understand) this Hot Damn Bread and Butter Pickle recipe remains my all time favorite.
These pickles aren’t as painfully sweet as many classic recipes and the addition of just a few red pepper flakes (or a habanero slice in each jar) provides a kick that spice lovers come back for again and again.
These are so good that when I saw that bin of fresh pickling cucs had just hit our local farmstand yesterday I bought a bag and made a batch of these last night.
The beauty of small batch canning is that you can ‘put up a run of pickles’ with about an hour and half of actual hands-on effort.
Time to turn off the TV and get your pickle on.
5 and 1/2 lb. small pickling cucumbers
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 sweet red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 tbsp pickling salt
4 cups cider vinegar
2 cups granulated sugar
3 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp celery seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cloves
2-4 tsp red pepper flakes
Prep work. Trim a thin slice from the end of each well-scrubbed cucumber and slice into 3/16 inch slices (we use a mandolin to get consistent slices with a crinkle cut edge). Thinly slice the onions and the red pepper, combine with the sliced cucumbers in a non-reactive container. Sprinkle with the salt, mix well and let stand for 4 hours.
Drain, rinse well twice, drain.
Make a pickle. Using a large stainless or enamel saucepan combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard and celery seeds, turmeric, cloves and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, add the cucumber mixture and return to a boil for 30 seconds.
Put ‘em up. Presuming you have some familiarity with canning – remove the hot, sterilized jars from the canner. Using a slotted spoon, pack the vegetable mix into the jars. Pour the hot liquid to within 1/2 inch of the rim. Remove air bubbles, place the lids and process in a boiling water bath (10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes per quarts).
Better after a week; good for a year if stored in a cool, dark closet.
Enjoy.
